Jawor Church of Peace, Jawor, Poland

The Churches of Peace in Jawor and Świdnica, the largest timber-framed religious buildings in Europe, were built in the former Silesia in the mid-17th century, amid the religious strife that followed the Peace of Westphalia. Constrained by the physical and political conditions, the Churches of Peace bear testimony to the quest for religious freedom and are a rare expression of Lutheran ideology in an idiom generally associated with the Catholic Church. Since 2001, the remaining churches are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The church in Jawor has capacity of 5,500. It was constructed by architect Albrecht von Saebisch (1610–1688) from Wroclaw and was finished in 1655. The 200 paintings inside by were done by Georg Flegel in 1671–1681. The altar, by Martin Schneider, dates to 1672, the original organ of J. Hoferichter from Legnica (then German Liegnitz) of 1664 was replaced in 1855–1856 by Adolf Alexander Lummert.

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User Reviews

Delphine Mousseau (4 years ago)
Very interesting church in a small town which illustrates the idea of living together with different religions. From outside, it looks like a big fat house. From inside it is a proper church.

Przemek Gwiazda (4 years ago)
Wonderful. One of those places that need to be visited. Unbelievable!

Tomek Ikea (4 years ago)
Church interior is amazing. Really deserves to be on the UNESCO list.

ONKAR JIYAL (4 years ago)
Most Beautiful place for peace and prayers.

Ágnes Novák (5 years ago)
I dont see in my life beautiful est church! It was buold next 30 years armee. Inside Just wood..

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Before the arrival of Christianity in Sweden, Gamla Uppsala was the seat of Swedish kings and a ceremonial site known all over northern Europe. The settlement was home to royal palaces, a royal burial ground, and a great pagan temple. The Uppsala temple, which was described in detail by Adam of Bremen in the 1070s, housed wooden statues of the Norse gods Odin, Thor and Freyr. A golden chain hung across its gables and the inside was richly decorated with gold. The temple had priests, who sacrificed to the gods according to the needs of the people.

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Jawor Church of Peace

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